


South Bridge

by flowergum66



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cuddling, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Semi high school setting, Teen Romance, gets a bit angsty in the middle but nothing too bad, happens around post-WWII
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29171856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowergum66/pseuds/flowergum66
Summary: A short story about the first time Octavio and Craig ever met.
Relationships: Cap'n Cuttlefish & Original Character(s), Cap'n Cuttlefish/DJ Octavio, DJ Octavio & Original Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	South Bridge

**Author's Note:**

> It's set in post-WWII Japan, but one that still had a monarchy. I won't explain how that came to be, you're here for the Cuttletavio. Also, this was first posted on Tumblr.

That day was a bright summer day; no clouds in the sky, a gentle breeze and the faint smell of blooming flowers. For a day as nice, it sure was sad for a certain freshman inkling.

A young Craig Cuttlefish found himself standing in front of his neighbor's house, watching all the workers with boxes and furniture come in and out. It reminded him of when their families moved out together from Calamari County to the capital; it was sad for all his classmates, but he kept his best friend, lady Ava Mori, until the end of middle school.

For him, she became more than just a friend, and the thought of going through high school without her was unbearable, but her dad got fired and the bills started piling up to the point of no return. 

The aforementioned lady suddenly came out of the house and ran up to the inkling. Her tentacles were black as a sign of grief, but they just made her cute, pale face stand out more.

-So… -she muttered- it's over.

-Don't say that -answered Craig- You're still alive and healthy.

-I'm just worried about the future, especially you! Will you be alright without me?

To be honest, he didn't know. The memories from a time where they didn't know each other were quite fuzzy.

-I'll be just fine, I know how to take care of myself -he lied, to her and himself, but it felt like the best thing to do.

Ava's parents called her; everything was packed and ready to go back to the countryside.

-Wait! -Craig stopped her- I want to give you something… 

He pulled out his little notebook, a place where he wrote all of his ideas and thoughts, and put it in her hands. 

-Oh Craig… I can't accept it, it's too personal… 

-It's the only thing I own that could remind you of me when you see it, my dear lady Ava Mori -Craig did a little bow, part of an inside joke that was born after a school play where she was a princess.

-You dummy! Why didn't you tell me you would give me something?! Now I have nothing for you and I'll feel bad for the rest of my life!

-Well… there's one thing... -he said, pointing to his lips.

She put her arms around his neck and gave him a soft kiss, suddenly interrupted by her dad, angrily separating them.

The last thing he saw was her gloomy eyes, looking through the back window, waving goodbye until they met again...

* * *

Craig barely passed his first year of high school.

He made some friends and got some girls interested in him, but no one could compare to lady Ava Mori. 

Now, in the middle of his second year, it looked like he wasn't going to pass unless he did something.

A private teacher was too much money, the teacher's from his school were too underpaid to even bother staying after school to help him and his family couldn't afford having him repeat a year. 

His older sister, Amber, told him she had a friend that owed her a favour that could help him out; he was around his age so it sounded good. 

He and his family lived on the lower hills, separated from the higher ones by an artificial river and drawbridges. He complained when she told him to go to the south bridge (the furthest from his home) on Friday, but, knowing her shady background, she must have a good reason.

He arrived to the set location, tired from that stupidly long walk, and was received by his sister on the entrance of the bridge. In the middle of it, standing by the rails, an octoling looked down on the river.

-Hey C! 

-That's not him, right? -said Craig, confused and pestered.

-It is him, actually. 

Craig couldn't believe it. An octoling? A coddamn octoling?! Most of them were a bunch of rich morons with a superiority complex over any other species. 

He glanced at the guy in the rail again; he was using a gakuran, like him, and his tentacles were dark blue, a commoner's colour, but his delicate hands gave away the fact that he never did hard work. He probably was a rich guy trying to blend in with the commoners. What stood out the most about him were his green, but gloomy eyes.

Amber started to walk towards the octoling and signaled Craig to follow.

-Craig -said Miss Amber- here's my good friend, Octavio, and vice versa. Have fun! 

She just left. The two guys tried to stop her from going, but she just ignored them.

There was a little bit of uncomfortable silence. The octoling looked so nervous after Amber introduced them. The inkling decided to break the silence.

-So… Octavio, right? You want to go to the park? 

-Well actually… -holy carp, his voice is low for his age- Maybe we could go to a cafe nearby. 

-I don't know, the food will distract me from studying. 

-Studying? -muttered a confused Octavio.

-Yeah, that's why you're here -suddenly, Craig had a hunch- What did my sister tell you you were here for? 

-W-well! -stuttered the octoling- She said we could become good friends… 

Great! His sister lied, like she always does. Why did he trust her for important stuff like this?

They went to the park and spent the afternoon doing rocket science to understand basic algebra.

It helped that they taught Octavio algebra during middle school, but it was also suspicious.

* * *

Three months passed by and our beloved young inkling wasn't in danger of repeating a year anymore.

His dad was relieved and proud, but his brother, Benjamin, kept wondering why he still went to hang out with that octoling. As it turns out, Amber begged Craig to keep him company because "he is quite lonely and his other friends left and I'm his only friend and…"

He didn't want to be no one's friend out of pity, but he gave him a month of probation and he started to like him. "He's a cool, down-to-earth guy, sometimes he gets too nervous but don't we all? Oh! And he has a nice voice."

Ben didn't get it, and he never would, so he just let it be because it made his brother happy.

The pair of cephalopods started to meet almost everyday after school.

It was a windy day of autumn when that routine changed. 

Craig was walking to their usual meet up spot when, from the distance, he saw a fine gentleman of reddish hairs dressed with a matching red blazer. Upon getting closer, he noticed it was his dear friend Octavio.

-Hey C! -greeted him the tall octoling, subtly smiling- How do I look? The red suits me good, right? 

It, indeed, suited him perfectly, to the point that the inkling's face was slowly developing a subtle blush to match it. 

Octavio took out a similar blazer, perfectly sized for his friend. Apparently, his plan was to go to the upper hills and show him a nice café, so they both had to dress accordingly.

The pair went up to the richest zone of the city, disguised as students from the most prestigious and most expensive school of the country (but Craig suspected that Octavio actually studied there). This tactic was meant to ward off any stranger's eyes, but the inkling's hair, with a weird condition that only allowed him to change the colour of the tips, was too noticeable for it to work.

Nonetheless, they wouldn't let that stuff ruin their evening.

The upper hills were a nice place; it smelled like good cuisine and fine perfumes, the most recent buildings were inspired by European architecture, ladies filled with jewels and gentlemen in fine suits walked around, and police were everywhere. Such sight was both fascinating and irritating for the inkling, as it certainly explained the misery in the lower side of the city.

Suddenly, a nice but familiar smell caught his nose, and he, by instinct, started to search for its source. Octavio was forced to follow him, but he didn't really mind it that much.

The source of the smell was a small bakery that sold many kinds of food, including crabby cakes! Craig's favorites! They looked so crunchy and delicious, but the price was too much, even for crabby cakes!

Octavio had an idea and told him to wait outside. It was obvious to Craig that he was going to buy some, which he appreciated but, at the same time, made him feel a little bit of guilt. 

Those feelings quickly went away once he noticed a group of three cute girls looking towards him, with interested eyes. They weren't dressed like his friend, so they wouldn't ask why they didn't see him at school.

He gracefully approached them and did the usual thing; made them laugh a little, complimented their looks and pretended to be new in the city. He was confident with girls that he liked physically, but was absolute trash talking to girls he liked emotionally. The three girls were fighting with each other to show him around, until Octavio came back. His height made him quite menacing, and had the ability to look even more menacing with the correct gaze. The ladies got scared and quickly left. Craig was certainly mad, but surprised at this brand new look in his friend.

-You're a dumbass, C. -angrily said the octoling- Those girls only want a handsome guy that can buy them a nice dress and jewels, and you don't have any money. 

-What? How do you know that? Are you very experienced with the girls from here? Or maybe you're just jealous? -remarked Craig, with a big smirk.

As he said this, Octavio's face turned full red. For Craig, it was funny to see his friend go from scary to embarrassed because of something he said. He was used to other guys being jealous of that idiotic confidence of his, but something told him his friend wasn’t jealous of that.

It took some time for the octoling to calm down. From then, they went to the park and ate crabby cakes on a bench, talking about life and other stuff. 

It was nice for Craig to have found someone with whom he could talk about… well, anything! They could talk about a movie that aired last night or how life was so unfair, and Octavio didn't care if they agreed or not on something, which Craig found the most appealing, besides his voice when talking about something he was interested in. The only thing he couldn't talk about with him was girls. Everytime a nice looking girl walked by them, he would point it out, but his friend would simply say "Yeah, sure…" and change the topic. It was surprising the first time it happened, but he quickly got used to it and found it nice to have a friend that could help control that side of him.

As the sun started to set in between the mountains, the pair of young cephalopods walked to the bridge that connected their different realities. 

Craig quickly changed from the red blazer to his usual jacket and thanked Octavio for the evening. However, before walking home, he wanted to confirm something. He took a deep breath and asked:

-Wanna hug? 

-W-what? 

-Hug. Friends hug and we are friends, right? 

Octavio was still surprised by the offer, but he accepted at last. 

They surrounded each other with their arms. Craig could feel the octolings nervousness through his fast-beating heart. He smelled quite nice, like the fine cologne his dad used for important meetings, and he was warm, so warm…

A car engine was heard from the distance. Octavio quickly pushed him away and ran. It caught Craig off guard, and made him wonder why (maybe deep down, he knew…)

That night was spent thinking about his friend's fast beating heart. It reminded him of his old friend's heart when she hugged him… 

He went to his new notebook (almost unused) and started to write his thoughts. He considered the idea of making a poem, but one wouldn't do that with a friend! Maybe he wasn't a friend… What was he thinking? Of course they were! But what if…? 

The hours of sleep he couldn't get home, he got them in school, alongside a nice hour of detention. Luckily, Octavio was a patient guy and waited outside school dressed like a commoner, like he always does. 

To the inkling's surprise, he greeted him with a big hug and apologized about yesterday. They just laughed it off and things went like they always did, but now, Octavio really liked to hug him… a lot. 

* * *

Now, it was summer in Craig's third and last year of high school. He found out that Octavio was one year behind him, and he would've loved to help with his knowledge of the second year, but the socio-economic differences between their education made it so that the octoling was the one that usually helped him. 

It was really frustrating; nothing he could buy or do would be better than anything they sell on the hills, but he still wanted to do something to thank him. 

He considered polishing some of his poetry, but for him, it was all badly done and insurmountable, besides, that was more of a romantic thing to do.

He considered doing a portrait, but his abilities were pure trash.

He considered cooking something, but… actually, his cooking skills were the only ones he was genuinely proud of.

He decided to cook a nice set of wasabi macarons, as, somehow, his friend was an avid fan of wasabi. The macarons were packed in a nice cardboard box he made himself too, wrapped with a red bow. The inkling carried them throughout the day until afternoon came, when he would meet up with his best friend, like everyday. 

Surprisingly, he wasn't there waiting for him like he always did. Craig didn't know where he lived, so the only thing he could do was wait.

The sun started to set and he wasn't there. It started to get so late, that his own brother had to come and drag him home.

Next day? The same thing. 

By the third day, he went to his school and asked someone about him. Most students ignored him, but the ones kind enough to help didn't even know about him! He asked some of the teachers and they didn't know either. But how?! He's tall and green eyed, you can't miss him! 

If it wasn't for Amber confirming that he existed, he would've thought his best friend was part of his imagination.

A week went by and nothing. He started to sit by the entrance of his school, waiting to see him, but nothing! Maybe he assumed wrong… Maybe he really was a low-class octoling and he just knew how to pretend to be rich…

He was too focused on his own thoughts to notice a young miko walk towards him. It was odd to see one around here, since the temple was at the center of the city.

-What's your name? -asked the miko.

Craig looked around confused.

-Who? Me? 

-Yes. What's your name? 

-It's Craig… 

-Good. Follow me.

-You got the wrong guy.

-You live in an eastern country but have a western name and have a weird hair condition. I KNOW you're the one I'm looking for. Just follow me.

Stranger danger they say, but, still, Craig followed her like it was nothing. He always wondered how it would be like to have your organs harvested, or be kidnapped by the mafia and sold, which he thought would be what would happen now. There was nothing he could do about it! He was a unique-looking guy with an uncommon name! 

The miko led him to a mansion… THE Mansion of the hills. It was built on the top of the highest hill, surrounded by a massive wall and fence. It could always be seen from the lower hills, even from the port! 

Rumours said that an European architect was kidnapped and forced to design it by gunpoint; it would certainly explain why it looks more majestic than the usual mansions from up there. Nobody knew who lived there, but many believed it to be the Emperor's personal house.

She took out a key and opened the front door. The front garden was… amazing. It was green and filled with roses of many colours. The mansion looked even more majestic upclose; It was so white it made your eyes hurt. 

A stair led to the front porch, which had a blue swing chair just sitting there, then to the white front door. The inside of the house was so different from the outside. 

The walls were covered with a wine coloured wallpaper, with Victorian patterns of golden colour. The living room had an elegant coffee table, accompanied by a set of matching couches and a grand piano, alongside a TV. That last object was surprising to Craig, who always thought the rich hated TVs.

He quickly glanced over to the dining room. In the center of it: a big, dark table and a matching set of chairs. The walls were decorated with photos of elegant octolings. The one that stood up the most was the biggest one; the one that took up almost the entire wall. It looked like a family photo, where everyone was dressed elegantly. He recognized four octolings: The Emperor, The Empress, the miko and… Octavio?

The miko called him again, as he got distracted by… well, everything. 

They went up to the second floor through the stair, almost hidden behind a wall, close to where the piano is. He got to see a long corridor on the second floor before being signaled to keep going up. The third floor was the same thing, and the leftover stair denounced the existence of a fourth floor. 

The miko knocked on the first door of the corridor, and a familiar voice said to come in. She opened it and walked away. Craig peeked and there he was, on his bed, Octavio! He had bandages all over his face and hands, but was more than happy to see his best friend appear through his door.

-Tavi! What happened to you?! -screamed Craig, while rushing to hug his injured buddy.

-It's a funny story actually! I had dinner with all of my family and a fight started and my aunt tried to kill me with a wine bottle! Ha ha! -said Octavio, genuinely laughing it off.

The inkling just looked at him, seriously concerned.

-Really? Are you ok? 

-Yes, don't worry. It's not the first time.

-It's not?! 

The octoling saw the genuine concern in his friend's eyes, something he hasn't seen in a long time. He was already here in his house and probably had a hunch of who he was, so no harm in telling him about his… bizarre situation:

-Well C, you see… I grew up in the countryside, in the north of the country. I hatched in my grandma's house and the only family I ever knew were my grandma, my priestess aunt and my little sister (who lived with my aunt). I stayed there for the entirety of primary school, and I thought I would do middle and high school there too, until my grandma put me on a train and told me that I would go live to the capital with my parents. From one day to another, I went from just a country boy to the ONLY heir of the throne of this coddamn country. I couldn't even brag about it because it would make me a target for assassins. I had to change my whole identity and I slowly became a paranoid mess because of all the horror stories of my aunts and my own father being kidnapped and tortured. School was such a pain because I didn't understand anything. Everyone in my family thinks they should become the Emperor, not me... I tried to jump to the ocean but I was too much of a coward to do it and I got so tired of these stupid rich kids I went to the port and made some friends but they got killed by salmons and I--

Craig couldn't resist anymore and hugged him. He couldn't imagine how horrible it would be if all of that happened to him, but he just didn't know what to say. He was a loner yet his family was always there, but to be a loner and have your family want to kill you... He could feel the octoling's tears on his shoulder, slowly falling. 

A gentle summer breeze came through the open window; you could see the entire city through it. The room was coloured with a nice shade of purple, and it was such a mess. They say one's room is a reflection of one's personality… 

The inkling gently rolled up his fingers on the octoling's tentacles while he let it all out. He felt honoured to be the shoulder he would cry on, especially now that he knew who he really was… He would love to be there for him for the rest of his life…

Some minutes passed and Octavio gently pushed Craig away, muttering a shy "Thank you" while cleaning his eyes. 

Craig almost forgot! He reached to his bag and got the box out. Octavio's eye lighted up when seeing the contents of it. He loved the macarons and he loved them even more when his best friend told him he made them himself. 

They didn't talk a lot that evening, they just laid on Tavi's bed and enjoyed each other's company. He glanced over the octoling's lips quite often, wondering how it would feel like to kiss him. It wasn't the first time he wondered what it would be like to kiss another guy, but he really wanted to know what it was like to kiss Octavio… No! Now it wasn't the time for that kind of stuff! He just went through something traumatic, and he couldn't just ask him for a kiss to see what it's like...

The colour of sunset started to come through the window. It was a long walk from the mansion to his house so he really had to get going now.

Octavio still needed to recover, so the new usual thing was going to his house and hangout there (It was cool too!).

Craig really started to write more in his little notebook. Sometimes, he would dissociate writing on it, and come back to consciousness when it was already written. The stuff he would write in that kind of state was embarrassingly lovey-dovey… and it was always about his friend! It happened so often, he would wonder why? Why lovey-dovey things about him? They were just two good friends spending time together! If he didn't swear to himself to not take out any pages of it, he would've done it for sure, but oh well...

* * *

It was the last day of school for Craig. Such a nice feeling to finally get out of that hell! 

As expected, he was really popular amongst the freshwomen. Could you really blame him? He was in the soccer team, the art club and the literature club, not mentioning his hair condition. No wonder so many guys disliked him… 

Anyways! It's common for boys to give the buttons of their jackets to the girls they like, giving the second button, the closest one to the heart, to the one they like the most.

Craig suspected many would ask for them, so he decided to only give one to the girls that brought him food, just because he forgot to eat breakfast that morning.

Most of them brought something delicious, and, by noon, he only had the second button left. He didn't feel like giving that one away… it would make his jacket be all open and stuff… 

It saddened him to see girls come by and go away without a button, but it really didn't matter; they would forget about him for next year's Casanova.

The last bell rang and he was finally free of the hell that is the educational system. 

Waiting a few blocks away from the school, his best friend of friends in the entire world (to not say the only one), Octavio! 

He jumped into his arms SO happily; it was just great to not have to study anymore! He really didn't know what to do next, but his dad gave him a fallow year to think about it. 

Now, what was important was this day. He just didn't know what to do! They could go get some ice cream or go some towns over and spend the day there… but Tavi looked nervous about something. 

He reached to his bag and took out a nicely wrapped box, then gave it to his buddy. Craig opened it and it was a nice, carved bento with homemade crabby cakes! 

He ate them so fast, since they were quite delicious. On the bottom of the box, it sat an envelope, closed with a heart sticker. When Craig took it out, Tavi couldn't take it anymore and ran away. The confused inkling opened it, and it read: 

> _"Dear Craig:_

> _We've known each other for a year now, but honestly? It's been such a great year for me!_
> 
> _You're so funny, kind and gentle. I just love to spend time with you! You're so talented in many things and I simply can't stop thinking about you. I love hugging you and I just want to hold your hand and kiss you and walk with you to the end of the world!_
> 
> _You make me so happy and I want to make you happy too for the rest of our lives._
> 
> _I guess what I'm saying is that I want to be more than just friends._

> _With love, Octavio."_

Craig stood there, processing the letter. And after a while…

Oh… Oh! OHHHHH! 

He felt so dumb as his face turned bright red. He had a hunch about Octavio's true feelings, but that description made him realize he felt the same! He loved him! It all made sense now… 

Craig went looking for his… friend? perhaps… lover? He looked for Octavio around the hills, but he was nowhere to be found. He wasn't in his house, not even the park. 

He decided to go check on his own house, and during the trip there, he heard a familiar sobbing coming from under the bridge. He slid down and saw his friend, crying. 

Craig sat beside him, and they stayed in silence. He never knew what to say in these kind of situations. The octoling broke the silence this time.

-I just wanted you to know how I really felt. You can leave if you don't love me back. I'll get over it… eventually.

He hated it when he tried to push him away like this. The inkling took out his notebook, a place where he would put all of his ideas and thoughts, and gave it to his more-than-a-friend friend; it was the only thing that could tell him his complicated feelings.

A good time was spent, by the octoling, going through the pages of the little notebook. Craig glanced at his face from time to time, and saw a cute blush and a little smile slowly appear under those gloomy eyes of his.

Tavi finished reading it and looked towards Craig. It was baffling for the inkling to see him go from sad to… radiantly happy. He looked amazing like this.

He was going to say something but Octavio leaned in and their lips met. He surrounded the tallest one's neck with his arms by pure instinct. His lips were so soft and he smelled like fine cologne and wasabi. He always wondered what it felt like to kiss a guy, and it felt… great, especially Tavi's kiss. 

Craig gently pushed the octoling away. Did that really just happen? Yes it did! It took him a while to let it all sink in.

-What now? -asked Octavio.

-I don't know… let's kiss again.

And they did, again and again and again… 

Were they now a couple? Yeah… Yeah! They were a couple! It sounded really nice to be boyfriends; technically they were still friends, so it was all good in society's eyes!

Wait… did they really kiss before even holding hands?


End file.
